The unified visa for the six member GCC states may be available from mid-2016, it has been revealed.
The GCC General Secretariat is currently working on an ambitious plan to introduce the visa that permits foreigners to visit all GCC states, similar to Europe’s Schengen visa.
The unified GCC visa may soon become a reality, after the meeting of the GCC tourism ministers in Oman last year, a Gulf official said. The tourism officials have discussed a range of topics including the long-awaited unified visa proposal, and a unified tourism policy during the meet.
According to GCC Assistant Secretary General for cultural and media affairs, Khalid bin Salem Al-Ghassani, all GCC nations stand to gain from the new tourism policy. The remarks were made when speaking about GCC tourism officials meet, which was attended by Prince Sultan bin Salman, the Chief of Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.
The officials also discussed at length about the co-operation between public and private sectors, and a memo submitted by the GCC Secretariat to protect urban heritage.
A travel and tourism industry leader, Salahuddin Al-Osaimi, spoke about the benefits of a common Schengen visa, which allows an expatriate to visit 26 counties on a single visa endorsement.
Several trade and tourism projects are being implemented across the GCC, including the Kingdom, Al-Osaimi said.
